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KEEP
YOUR TEETH FOR LIFE
Dental Health Care & Hygiene |
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DENTAL
HEALTH TIPS FOR PRE-SCHOOLERS
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You should brush your children's teeth and encourage them to learn how to brush correctly, using a small pea sized quantity of low strength fluoride toothpaste. |
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Most
importantly, avoid sweet snacks and sweet drinks between meals. The possibility of tooth decay is directly related to the number of times that sweet things are in contact with the teeth. |
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Seek your dentist's advice without delay if your children's teeth become damaged - whether loosened or just chipped. | |
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If a baby tooth is dislodged do not attempt to straighten or replace it. Take the child to your dentist straight away. | |
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Nowadays, dentists concentrate on preventing dental disease. Ask your dentist how frequently your children need a check up so that problems can be detected early enough to allow the dentist to prevent them without the need for fillings. |
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DENTAL
HEALTH TIPS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLERS
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Supervise toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste, especially after meals, and teach your children to use dental floss as they get older. Good oral hygiene at an early age will reduce the likelihood of dental disease and set up good oral hygiene habits for life. |
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Avoid between meal snacks of sweets, sugary foods and sweetened drinks as they cause tooth decay. Be aware of what your children eat and drink at school. | |
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Have your dentist make your children mouthguards for sporting activities. A custom-made mouthguard fits better and is much more comfortable than one off-the-shelf, so your children will want to wear them. You can even have them in their favourite colours. | |
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If your child's teeth become damaged in any way, take the child to your dentist immediately. |
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DENTAL
HEALTH TIPS FOR TEENAGERS
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This is the
ideal age for your dentist to check if the position of your teeth is
correct and if treatment is necessary to create a more attractive appearance.
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Always use a fluoride toothpaste and brush your teeth at least twice a day. Fluoride strengthens resistance to decay and encourages repair of the enamel damaged by the acid attack of the decay process. |
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Use dental floss daily to remove harmful plaque from between your teeth. Regular brushing with a soft brush and flossing will prevent gum disease, which can lead to loss of teeth. | |
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To protect you against sporting injuries, have your dentist make you a custom-made mouthguard. These are much more effective and comfortable than mouthguards off-the-shelf. | |
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Ask your dentist how often you need a check up. Measures to prevent dental disease include the applications of fluoride and/or the sealing of small pits in the enamel which are likely spots for decay. |
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IF
A TOOTH IS KNOCKED OUT
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If it is clean, place it straight back in its socket. |
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If it is dirty wash it in milk - if milk is not available, use water but only for a few seconds. |
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Do not scrub the root surface and try not to touch the root. |
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Having removed any debris, now try to replace the tooth in its socket. |
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If you can't replace it, wrap the tooth in plastic wrap or store it in milk; most importantly, get your child to a dentist immediately, with the tooth. |
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Take your children
for regular check ups. To prevent decay, your dentist can apply fluoride
solutions and/or seal small pits in the enamel which are prone to decay.
Remember, at this age, teeth are often crooked. Ask your dentist if any corrective treatment is needed. |
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FLUORIDE
& YOUR DENTAL HEALTH
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Most major
Australian cities have had fluoridated water for 20 to 30 years.
One of the most beneficial discoveries in recent years is that fluoride encourages the enamel of the tooth to repair itself, providing the decay process has not gone too far. |
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In the first 10 years after its introduction in Australia, fluoridated water has resulted in decay rates dropping up to 60 per cent. |
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Approximately two out of every three Australians now drink fluoridated water. |
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 30
years ago:* The average teenager had 18 teeth either needing fillings, already filled, or extracted due to decay. * Two-out-of-three older adults had lost all their teeth and wore dentures. * Many 16 year-olds had to have all their teeth out due to decay. |
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Today, tooth extraction due to decay is a rarity and most teenagers have only four or five teeth filled or affected by decay (many with no decay at all) and the damage is often slight. |
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Due to fluoride, today's young people may never need a filling. |
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How does fluoride prevent
decay? * It interferes with the bacteria in plaque - which break down sweet foods and starches to form acids which attack the teeth. * It alters the structure of tooth enamel to make it more resistant to acid attack. * It helps to regenerate and repair enamel which has started to decay. |
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Ask your dentist if you need fluoride solution applied to prevent decay starting. This concentrated fluoride stops the early stages of decay getting worse |
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The first signs of tooth decay are white areas appearing, often, on the neck of the tooth and between the teeth. Ask your dentist to check these areas and advise you how to prevent cavities developing. |
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Brushing with a fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day, especially after meals, is most important in preventing dental decay. |
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Megabite
- An In Your Face Journey
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Megabite - "An In
Your Face Journey" is a health education CD ROM aimed at students in
years 7 to 11.
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is an innovative multimedia curriculum resource.
Five strands of the national health and physical education curriculum
are incorporated in the CD ROM.
Human Development * Safety * People and Food * Health of Individuals and Populations * Human Relations Students can explore topics and issues such as nutrition, injury protection. Fluoride, human growth, food packaging, smoking, dental development, dental history and treatment. Megabite includes: * Interactive on-screen activities (feed the Health Eating Pyramid, go traveling with a time machine and more) * Over 30 classroom and extension activities - debates, role plays, design and research tasks - related to curriculum outcomes * Videos including interviews with Olympic athletes * Extensive fact files and glossaries * Print out facilities * A teacher's guide Megabite runs on Windows and Macintosh. |
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Megabite
is an initiative of the Australian
Dental Association produced with generous assistance from the Australian
Diary Corporation, Gillette
Australia and the Victorian Department of Human Services.
 Information kindly supplied by Australian Dental Association P.O. Box 520, St Leonards NSW 1590 Phone:(02) 9906 4412 Facsimile:(02) 9906 4676 E-mail: adainc@ada.org.au |
